Quick Take: Microsoft SideWinder X6 Gaming Keyboard

Microsoft SideWinder X6 offers movable number pad and more.

Microsoft's first gaming keyboard was the Reclusa, and it was really a Razer keyboard with Microsoft branding. In this post, I'm going to take a quick look at the first all-Microsoft gaming keyboard, called the SideWinder X6. Note that, as with all "Quick Takes" on Kit, this is not a full-blown review, but merely my initial reactions to the keyboard after using it for a bit. If you own a SideWinder X6, please add your own thoughts in the comments section.

Movable number pad

The most notable physical feature of the SideWinder X6 is definitely the number pad, which can be moved to the left or right side. For the gamers out there who like to use macros, the ability to move the number pad to the left side of the keyboard may be a dream come true.

The number pad is held onto the side of the X6 with surprisingly strong magnets, and what looks like an oversized USB port connects the number pad to the keyboard. The magnets automatically attract the number pad and snap it into place with enough force that it won’t come loose in normal use, no matter how many times you spam your favorite macro during spirited play. However, when it comes time to change the number pad around it is relatively easy to remove and can even be swapped during a game.

Macro recording and backlighting

The X6 offers 30 buttons are for binding macros, and each button has three different profiles for a total of 90 potential macro keys. The main drawback to the X6's macro capability is that the keyboard has no on-board memory. That means that all macros are recorded to the computer's hard drive. Most gamers won’t find that to be an issue, but for gamers who like to use their keyboard on other computers (e.g., at a LAN party) that means the macros won’t be available.

The X6 lets you record macros without leaving your game, a process that's pretty straightforward: you hit the record key, then press the key that you want the macro to be bound to. You then type your macro (or a text string) and hit the record button again to save. In testing, I didn’t see that there was a limit to the number of characters a macro can contain.

Like macros, backlighting is another popular gaming feature, and the X6's backlight scheme is unique. The keyboard's main backlight color is red, and all programmable keys are backlit with an amber color. The different backlighting colors make it a snap to tell what keys can be programmed, something that's important when you're trying to record a macro in game.

One feature that would be nice to see in this keyboard is the ability for the backlight to be changed back to red on programmable keys once the key has a macro bound to it. This would be a great way to see what keys are available for binding macros during play.

Gamers who don’t like backlighting will appreciate the fact that the backlight can be dimmed or turned off altogether with the leftmost of the two round knobs on the keyboard. The front of the WASD keys used for movement on virtually every PC game available have three dots that glow when the backlight is on to make picking out the movement keys easier in the dark.

Other Features

The X6 includes the standard complement of media control keys, everything you expect from a multimedia keyboard like play/pause, volume and more. If you want to automate a single keystroke, the X6 has a feature called Cruise Control. You can choose any key on the keyboard, hit cruise control and it will repeat until you tell it to stop. This feature doesn’t work with macro keys, but it does work with up to four keys at once.

Typing feel is one of the most important things on any keyboard, and it's also a matter of personal preference, but for my tastes the SideWinder X6 is pretty good in this area. The X6 offers decent tactile feedback with slight, audible clicks as the keys are activated, but you can certainly get better keyboard for straight-up typing if that's all you do. For instance, the typing feel on the X6 is not as good as the Logitech Illuminated Keyboard I have grown fond of using for typing, but if I had to type on the X6 full time I could certainly do it.

One thing that some users may find lacking on the X6 is that it lacks any USB ports or audio jacks. I never use these jacks myself, so I didn’t miss them, but if you like keyboard-mounted ports you'll want to steer clear of the X6.

Final Thoughts

If you're the type of gamer who is very fond of macros and you need a new keyboard, the X6 is a no brainer. However, if macros aren't your thing then there is nothing in the X6 you can't find elsewhere.